Raids in search for 71-year-old kidnapped Rotterdam resident

The 71-year-old man was pulled into a bus on Thursday, January 25 on Zoutziederstraat in Rotterdam by two men and taken away, while a third perpetrator drove the van. The victim was walking home from the mosque at that time, a walk of a few hundred meters.

Major research
A major investigation was immediately started to investigate the background to this kidnapping and to get the man home safely. On Tuesday, January 30, a 45-year-old man from Zwolle was arrested on suspicion of involvement. On February 2, it was decided that he should remain in custody for at least another 14 days.

Getaway car
After the man was pulled into the van, he drove towards Mathenesserweg/Taandersraat. The van’s (forged) license plates were soon traced and placed in the computer system that connects to roadside cameras that scan license plates. This license plate recognition system gave a final ‘hit’ on the Haringvliet Bridge towards the south around 8 p.m. From there there is no trace. An earlier call for witnesses about the van into which the victim was pulled unfortunately did not yield any useful tips.

Information?
It is suspected that the reason for the kidnapping was a criminal conflict and that the 71-year-old man was a victim of this. If people have information about where the man is being held or by whom, the police would like to get in touch. This can also be done confidentially via the Criminal Intelligence Team (TCI). TCI can have secret contact and shields the identity of the tipster. You can reach this special team on 088 – 661 77 34. If you want to remain completely anonymous, you can report via Meld Misdaad Anoniem on 0800-7000 or via www.meldmisdaadanoniem.nl.